After
nearly three months of trying to contain the oil leak in the Gulf of
Mexico with containment
caps/domes, robotic
submarines, the "top
kill" effort, and tools to transport oil up to ships
like the riser insertion tube tool (RITT), which have all failed to
completely stop the leak, BP is now placing
a new cap over the well in hopes of finally containing the
oil for good.

The
new 18-foot, 150,000-pound cap was placed over the well with robotic
arms on Monday and tests are being run to determine if this is the
right procedure for the job. So far, oil is still flowing from the
upper section of the new cap, but BP said they expected this to
happen until the company begins "well integrity tests"
today. BP noted that they don't expect any oil to be released during
the test, but that this doesn't indicate that the flow of oil has
been stopped permanently.

The
test is expected to take anywhere from six hours to two days, but
it's possible for the tests to be extended even further. The data
gathered during the tests will be shared and reviewed with "relevant
government agencies." According to retired Coast Guard Adm. Thad
Allen, scientists will be checking the pressure inside the well and
will then determine if the cap is containing the oil or if they will
need to continue siphoning oil to ships at the surface.

Allen
hopes that the new containment cap can close down the valves and hold
all of the oil, but BP Chief Operating Officer Doug Suttles mentioned
that it's important to first make sure there is no hydrate buildup. A
huge problem in the process of placing the new cap is the possibility
of new damage to the blowout preventer.

The
new containment cap has brought some new features to the table, such
as allowing four collection ships instead of three (which is what the
old cap allowed) to siphon oil, if oil collection is still needed
after today's tests. According to BP Senior Vice President Kent
Wells, 60,000 to 80,000 barrels of oil could be collected a day over
the next two to three weeks if oil collection is still part of the
containment process, thanks to the addition of an extra collection
ship. Recently, Helix Producer ship was placed with the Q4000
collection ship and together, they are expected to gather up to
33,000 barrels of oil per day.

In
addition to new
containment caps and more collection ships, a new moratorium
order issued by the U.S. Interior Department is doing its part in
preventing any more disasters like this from happening.

The
new moratorium is to "protect
communities, coasts and wildlife" by making oil companies
establish safety measures in order to reduce the risks of oil spills
and blowouts in the future while deepwater drilling. This is the U.S.
Interior Department's second effort to diminish deepwater oil and
natural gas projects.

A
previous ban after the Gulf oil spill was thrown out by a
federal judge, but after a federal appeals panel "rejected the
government's request to overturn the lower court judge's decision,"
the U.S. Interior Department issued a new order that supersedes the
previous one.

This
new ban would be in effect until November 30, 2010 or until deepwater
drilling operations are deemed safe by Interior Secretary Ken
Salazar. Such a ban would insure that deepwater drilling in the Gulf
of Mexico would be suspended until the oil leak is resolved and
officials can figure out what went wrong April 20 and what to do to
prevent it in the future.

"More
than eighty days into the BP oil spill, a pause on deepwater drilling
is essential and appropriate to protect communities, coasts
and wildlife
from the risks that deepwater drilling currently pose,"
said Salazar. "I am basing my decision on evidence that grows
every day of the industry's inability in the deepwater to contain a
catastrophic blowout, respond to an oil spill and to operate safely.

"I
remain open to modifying the new deepwater drilling suspensions based
on new information."

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Are they gonna try to remove as much oil from the ocean as they can once they plug the leak? And if so, what happens to the stuff? Do they put it back into the operation it was supposed to go to (like refineries)? Does it get discarded in some way? I'm curious since I don't know if sea water affects the crude.

Every industry in the world strives to cut costs.Thats capitalism, before you demonize capitalism you have to see that without it we would be living in worse off state. We wouldn't have the same level of comfort as we do today.

Though I can argue that the current contract with the MMS and the Federal government we much more lax than a contract between BP and the States. The pay out cap was only 70 million dollars for crist sakes. This unrealistic damage assessment led to cutting on the Self Regulation.

Was it considered a gamble? We have honestly no clue until the relief wells have been drilled.

As the politicians have arranged it, I wholeheartedly agree. Although I disagree with the premise. There can be no effective self-regulation when there exists a government enforceable limit on damages should a disaster occur. 70 million dollar limit...come on! Self-regulation isn't even on the minds of contract negotiators when the damage limit is lower than the cost of a replacement rig.

Just more intentionally deceitful garbage spewing from the mouths of the commercial and political elites. Where have you gone Andrew Jackson? Your countrymen need you again.

It was an accident. If it comes out they broke the rules, they'll be punished. However, this is not a reason for the government to control the oil industry or enact cap and trade legislation which has nothing to do with the current problem.

quote: However, this is not a reason for the government to control the oil industry or enact cap and trade legislation which has nothing to do with the current problem.

But you damn well better believe that it will give them more momentum to push for it. Why else would Obama have sit on his hands for the first month or more? So it could get worse, and provoke national attention of course!

Quote:"Red flags and warning signs had been raised about corrosion on several occasions both from within and outside the organization but had been ignored.[3] The 1992 tests on the eastern line had indicated the presence of calcium in the line, but nothing was done about it.[original research?] A company report in year 2005 said BP based its corrosion-fighting on a limited budget instead of needs.[8]"

Expect this to be struck down as well in court. Ken doesn't get it that he has to show some sort proof that the other wells are dangerous. We know this isn't possible as the other companies have openly stated in front of congress that they don't use this design in their deep water sites.

He can shut down wells of similar design or sites that used the same inspectors or possibly any run by the same company, but the court should strike down any ruling based on an assumption.

He, like most of the current administration, forgets hes a member of the executive branch. Forgets that actual laws have to be seen by the judicial branch as fair and constitutional before they can be affectual. Salazar doesn't know the constitution from a dead hooker.

quote: like most of the current administration, forgets hes a member of the executive branch. Forgets that actual laws have to be seen by the judicial branch as fair and constitutional before they can be affectual.

I certainly hope this doesn't suggest that the Bush administration didn't participate in the same, if not more heinous, violations of the Constitution... I really hope you aren't even remotely suggesting that. If so, I have 4 words for you. Department of Homeland Security. 2 more... Patriot Act.

Obama is the flip side of the same "corporations first people second" coin that Bush and all the rest are. Look at his pitiful cleanup of MMS. Like Bush yelling "You're doing a helluva job Brownie," he tells how his man has cleaned up MMS, when in fact his pro-oil-at-any-cost fanboy hasn't done Jack Shit. For the results Obama got he may as well have sent Cheney in, at least that way perhaps some of the free sex all over the place could have overtaxed his pacemaker and some good could have come out of all this.

quote: ...by making oil companies establish safety measures in order to reduce the risks of oil spills and blowouts in the future while deepwater drilling.

Sad that companies like this need to be forced to do what they should be doing on their own. Maybe the oil should be collected and dumped on the lawns of the shareholders and execs - we'd see if they could be more prepared in the future.

You make an assumtion that I am an American and then call me stupid - you gonna put gum in my hair next?

1) There are other countries in the world besides the U.S. - if you had half a brain you would have likely noticed this.2) A company that drills for and extracts oil from the ground should be prepared for spills should it not?3) If shareholders in companies such as this demanded a higher standard of operations instead of only worrying about their bottom lines the governments of the world would not need legislation.4) A-holes like you are a dime a dozen and a big reason why some people think all Americans arrogant - douchebags have a way of sticking in your memory.

First BP is not an American company. It is a British company. Second not all shareholders of BP are American or even British. Shareholders are international.

Even if BP was American and all shareholders were American it still wouldn't matter because the legal concept of a corporations is that of limited liability. This is true in America, Russia, China, or South Africa. The concept of corproation is an entity that survives the death of the owners and in which liability is limited to the investment in the entity. The most basic research (reading wikipedia) would have informed you of how and why this is true.

The most that can legally happen to a shareholder is they lose 100% of their investment; the stock goes to $0.00 or 0.00 Euros or 0.00 Yuan. This isn't done to "punish" shareholders rather it is a mechanism of the system of capitalism in which poor investments result in losses for investors.

lastly you seem to be confused about the level of power, insight, and control shareholders have. Were you are the Deep Water Horizon design was flawed and BP cut corners in the design and drilling? If not then shareholders didn't either.

Shareholders shouldn't be liable for something beyond their control simply because you are angry and need someone to vent your anger on.

It WAS a British company, but now it's an international corporation, which means it has no sovereign ties, this will likely make it hard for the company to be prosecuted.

The CEO Tony whatever-whatever-his-name-is is British, but that doesn't mean the company is British.

I also hope that he has criminal charges brought against him, as well as the managers directly responsible for the 11 deaths and the many thousands more that will come as a result of breathing in the corexit 9500, oil fumes and toxic gases.

Well how about putting the blame where it really belongs - and by this I mean the consumers. I have seen no one carrying for where the oil comes as long as it is cheap.

Almost nobody says to government that waging wars over oil is wrong or demand the oil companies disclose what the environmental impact is from producing oil. Most people just want more drilling and strip mining be it anywhere but in their front garden. I hope that at least this mess make people wake up and see there is a downside to the life style of consuming but I know that is a pretty naive hope. It is so much easier to blame someone else rather than looking in the mirror.

Oil is a natural resource. Millions of barrels are extracted every day without incident and without environmental damage. The BP fiasco was apparently an operations error made much more serious (in hindsight) because of equipment failure and the extreme depth of the project. It will be fixed and a few years from now the oil contamination will be gone, or nearly so.

Oil is a marvelous energy source, and via technology we have lots of it. We don't need to turn our thermostats down or ride our bicycles to work.

These oil guys must be smart, they are placing a few hundred tons on top of an eroding pipe, which I may add is the only thing supporting the BOP and everything on it, I believe the BOP alone weighs 450 tons.

If that pipe does give way all of that tonnage is going to sink straight into the sea bed, which is very soft silt, and with it any chance of capping that oil eruption.

Either way BP's executives should be criminally charged, but that won't happen as we know the oil companies practically own politicians and courts, look at the judge who had a big stake in oil shares...

This is me being morbid, but does anyone else think that if the worse of the worst happens, that is that this oil eruption releases a methane explosion and devastates the gulf that the people will force politicians and government to seriously regulate the oil industry and route out the criminals in it, perhaps it could force them to look over the many decades of criminal behaviour as well, I believe the oil (energy) industry is responsible for around 30+ Million deaths in and around the majority of 3rd world countries, due to supporting armed conflicts and dictators, this is all documented history I may add, I've no idea why the media keep it quiet, they mustn't have reporters in those parts of the world, or something... Probably because there are no celebrities there, who knows...

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